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Picking out the right moisturizer can be a difficult task, especially if you struggle with clogged pores and breakouts. In fact, if you regularly use certain moisturizers, they could be the reason behind your breakouts. To prevent this, choosing a moisturizer without pore-clogging ingredients could be the key to making your skin look its best.
Read on for the common moisturizer ingredients that lead to clogged pores and breakouts!
Petrolatum
If your moisturizer contains petrolatum, it might be best to stay away for the sake of your pores.
Kathleen Cook Suozzi, MD, assistant professor at the Department of Dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine, told Insider, "The 'oil' in moisturizers is classically petrolatum .... Petrolatum can have a greasy, heavy feeling on the skin."
Instead of petrolatum, look for moisturizers that have dimethicone instead. "Dimethicone substitutes for petrolatum in most 'oil-free' moisturizers... and can be preferred by patients with acne," Suozzi explains.
Since oil and dirt are the main culprits behind clogged pores, choosing an oil-free moisturizer can help improve the appearance of your skin.
Coconut Oil
Although coconut oil is a popular natural moisturizer, it can be a bad idea if you have acne-prone skin.
Suozzo tells Insider, "[Coconut oil]'s very comedogenic which means that it can't penetrate the pore. Because of this, it sits on top of the skin, leading to clogged pores, breakouts and without proper absorption, causes extreme dryness."
Sticking to oil-free moisturizers and staying away from coconut oil and petrolatum could be the key to unclogging your pores and stopping breakouts before they start.
Want to find an oil-free moisturizer? Check here!
